Chapter 409: Or Xiao Jiu, it's up to you

Nothing.... nothing left....

Zhang Jie held his injured arm, sitting outside the Shelter, staring blankly at the Shelter still puffing thick smoke.

That was his cozy little nest where he survived, not only having the organic synthesizer left by the human female, but also the few memories he shared with her.

But now, it's all gone.

Around Zhang Jie, several Wasteland Dwellers lay scattered, holding sharp scrap-iron knives, their bodies torn apart by gunfire, already lifeless.

These were Wasteland Dwellers Zhang Jie had once intimidated; obviously, the human female, a civilized person from society, had never taught him what 'eradicate the root' meant.

Perhaps because she still wanted to bring Zhang Jie back to civilization, or perhaps she thought she could protect him; in any case, the human female never taught him how to truly survive on this wasteland.

Those Wasteland Dwellers coveted Zhang Jie's wealth, and while he slept, they hurled explosives into his Shelter.

It was 7089, the 'scrap' Zhang Jie had picked up, which he had thought was a dead machine; she pulled him out just as he slept, preventing him from respawning right there.

With 7089's help, Zhang Jie successfully counterattacked that band of thieves, but everything he relied on for survival was gone.

Gazing at everything he owned reduced to nothing, Zhang Jie felt only an indescribable anger and resentment.

His longing for the human female once again reached its peak.

Perhaps to others, Zhang Jie seemed like a well-off Wasteland Dweller, but in truth he was merely a child, a child deprived of maternal protection.

"Are you alright?"

Zhang Jie fell silent, then nodded; although he didn't know how this Humanoid Lifeform had awakened, he sensed she bore him no ill will.

"I..... I'm fine."

"You....."

Gazing at 7089's soot-black face, Zhang Jie didn't know what to say—he felt grateful, somewhat amused, but above all, regretful and anguished.

Yet 7089 seemed to understand him well, speaking coolly and candidly.

"I'm 7089; you can call me Xiao Qi, or Xiao Jiu, or just 7089—it's up to you."

"Then I'll call you Xiao Jiu."

Zhang Jie thought that name sounded nicer, so he chose Xiao Jiu from those options.

Today everything happened too fast; even with Zhang Jie's powerful mind, he couldn't fully process it at once.

He..... inexplicably lost all his means of comfortable living on the wasteland, yet seemingly..... inexplicably gained a talking companion.

Although I don't know if this guy will truly be a companion, at least for now we're together, someone I can temporarily trust.

"So what do you plan to do now?"

The Shelter had been blown to ruins by the explosives, though the nearby workshop suffered little damage.

Seeing Zhang Jie just sitting there dazed, 7089 thought it was no good, so she spoke up to interrupt his thoughts and lift his spirits.

7089..... no, I should call her Xiao Jiu; Xiao Jiu doesn't want to just die after finally meeting a human who lets her let down her guard a bit.

In a sense, they're actually the same kind of person.

Zhang Jie collected his thoughts, sighed, and finally decided to first tidy up his Shelter blown apart by the explosion.

As he expected, the water purifier and organic synthesizer—the two most important items—were not spared, blown beyond recognition.

"These things are essential tech for interstellar travel."

"Don't look at me; I can't fix this."

Xiao Jiu said it coldly; Zhang Jie didn't say much, just silently gathering the seemingly intact notes and books around him.

These are what the human female left him, also his main source of knowledge, especially the record detailing the full steps to hand-build a ship, which is especially precious.

Seeing Zhang Jie's dejected look, Xiao Jiu inexplicably felt a twinge of reluctance and, despite her words, helped him tidy up.

The end result was that the Shelter was destroyed, most of the human female's notes remained largely intact, though many parts were damaged.

However, not respawning on the spot was already the best outcome.

By then, the feces‑yellow sky had just begun to lighten, and the two could finally sit down and properly introduce themselves.

"As you already know, it's still the same: call me whatever you like, just don't make me work."

Xiao Jiu still wore a vacant, joy‑less expression, her whole body exuding utter despair, giving the feeling of a living person barely alive....

If it weren't truly unavoidable today, she would really not want to reveal that she's still awake; but if she didn't act, Zhang Jie's little trinket would have to respawn on the spot.

So, she acted.

"I... I'm Zhang Jie, I'm 13 years old."

"?"

Xiao Jiu's soot‑black face sprouted a big question mark, and she circled Zhang Jie several times with a strange expression.

"You mean...."

"You're saying a person who's about 1.8 to 1.9 meters tall and weighs nearly 200 pounds is only thirteen?"

"Right."

Xiao Jiu:......

Unconvinced, she circled Zhang Jie again several times—how could she believe it?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing...."

Xiao Jiu truly had no idea what to say, only able to remark, "No wonder you're a creature that grew up amid radiation on the wasteland—you're really not ordinary."

Watching the thoughtful Xiao Jiu, Zhang Jie wanted to speak but hesitated, then finally poked her a bit embarrassedly and handed her a small mirror.

"Um, do you want to go wash your face?"

"The workshop still has some leftover hand‑washing water...."

Xiao Jiu startled, suddenly realized something, and quickly took the small mirror Zhang Jie handed her, holding it up to her face.

What met her eyes was nothing but a black soot ball showing only the eyes, but it was obvious that this was Xiao Jiu.

She just saved Zhang Jie with that charcoal-black face, then helped him tidy up with the same face, all while putting on a serious, aloof act.

Zhang Jie could hold back his laughter for half a day, purely because the Shelter had blown up and he couldn't laugh; otherwise..... who could hold back.....

Xiao Jiu's sooty little face, after the initial daze, gradually turned blackish-red, and a faint smoke rose from above her head.

"Ahhhhh! So embarrassing!!!!"